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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30142851">Through the Window</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LissLove/pseuds/LissLove'>LissLove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Express, Post-War</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:08:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,815</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30142851</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LissLove/pseuds/LissLove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Hermione Granger is leaving for her last year at Hogwarts, she gazes at platform 9 3/4. </p>
<p>Written for the Pick-A-Spot Challenge at the Harry Potter Fanfiction Club Discord Server.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Through the Window</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione made sure to claim the compartment before anyone else could. Ginny had taken over her trunk to get it aboard and sent Hermione ahead to get them a seat. She sat down next to the window and watched over the boisterous platform, where families were saying goodbye, owls were hooting and a platform guard was reprimanding a few students, who couldn’t have been older than second years, for running and slamming into people.</p>
<p>Hermione saw Mr and Mrs Weasley standing at the back of the platform, weary and tired looking. She felt a pinch in her chest for the permanent sadness that had been etched to their features since that dreadful 2nd of May. She had visited the Burrow a lot over the last few months. These visits were… difficult. The homely feel the place always exuded hadn’t disappeared, but a gloom covered it, its shine not bright enough to peer from underneath. The loss of Fred had hit the Weasley family hard, to a point where they all seemed to be a bit off kilter. Mr Weasley had grown more quiet and when he wasn’t working, he was in his shed - though there didn’t seem to be much tinkering with Muggle stuff going on. He could sometimes be found standing there, just staring out the window, with Mrs Weasley holding his hand. Mrs Weasley was of course cooking, baking and showering them in food, though she would often be sitting at the kitchen table, tears streaming down her face and staring at the large grandfather clock from which Fred’s name had disappeared. Whenever she was caught sitting there by anyone, she’d quickly wipe her face with her apron and smother whoever it was in cookies, cake and pastry.</p>
<p>The kiss Ron and Hermione had shared in the midst of battle had chased Hermione in the days following. She hadn’t known how to act and what her feelings were on her relationship with the boy she had been friends with for 7 years. She had avoided the subject in her conversations with him, until one afternoon a week later. He had her cornered and told her that he also didn’t know what the kiss meant and that he’d like the time to figure it out and not jump headfirst into a romantic relationship. It had taken her a minute to compose herself and then thanked him for being braver than she was.<br/>
Ron had started to help George out with getting the shop up and running again, though they did most of it in silence. No one really knew what to say to Fred’s twin brother and was treading on eggshells around him, until one dinner George burst out that even with one ear he could hear what they were all thinking. After that night, some of the usual Weasley chaos had returned, though still somewhat subdued.</p>
<p>Ginny had spent a lot of time on her broom, practicing Quidditch on the field behind their house. Hermione thought that Ginny had wanted to escape the pressing atmosphere inside by going out alone. Even though some of her brothers had wanted to join, she had kept them at arm's length.<br/>
Charlie had spent the first month after the Battle at the Burrow, but had then left for Romania again. She had seen him struggle with losing his younger brother, but also with living with his parents - and namely Molly - again. She had seen him go out on his own, looking for some peace and quiet outside of the Burrow and to escape Molly’s overbearing nature. After a month he had announced at dinner that he would leave the next day. It had caused some ruckus, but he had stood his ground and said his goodbyes in the morning. Hermione had written to him a few weeks ago to wish him luck and that she hoped he found some relief in doing what he loved best, his work with dragons.<br/>
Meanwhile, Percy had started to tentatively come to Sunday dinners. The first time he showed up, Hermione had been there, and the tension had been thick enough to cut. Then Percy had stood up, delivered a speech about him being a stupid ambitious prick and that he was sorry for all the sorrow he had caused. Mrs Weasley had dropped her cutlery and gathered him in her arms - no one spoke about it after that. He was slowly accepted again by his brothers and sister. George had even started to make fun of him again, his way of welcoming Percy in the family again.</p>
<p>After Ginny had gotten their trunks onto the train, she returned to her parents to say goodbye. They exchanged hugs and kisses, some silent words passed between them, as the Weasley parents saw their youngest child off to her last year at Hogwarts. Hermione saw Molly Weasley swallowing a few times after letting go of her daughter and wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She looked to be squaring herself and put her brave face on. Ginny squeezed her parents hands for one last time and then gazed around - seeming to be looking for something, or someone.</p>
<p>Hermione’s eyes looked over the crowd too. A few feet down from the Weasleys were the Longbottoms, a proud look on Augusta Longbottom’s face. The war didn’t seem to have changed much to the appearance of the elder witch. Whereas most people on the platform were weary and tired looking, she stood tall, her vulture-adorned hat sitting on her head. She gave Neville a pat on the shoulder and waved her wand at his trunk, directing it towards the train. Neville on the other hand looked sideways to where Luna was saying goodbye to her father. The blonde haired girl had wrapped her arms around her father’s waist, who only seemed to be halfheartedly returning the gesture. His eyes kept darting across the crowd, one hand wrapped around Luna, one hand in the pocket of his orange polka dotted robes, probably gripping his wand. Then Luna stepped back, raising her wand tip in between them, while her father did the same. Blue and purple lights and smokes came out of the joint wands. The both of them then drew an intricate pattern in the air and the tension in Xenophilius shoulders seemed to lessen. Luna said goodbye to her father and then skipped towards the train. Hermione’s eyes met Neville’s, who had also been watching the exchange and they both shrugged at the same time and burst out laughing.</p>
<p>Scattered in the crowd were stern looking wizards and witches not involved in a goodbye ritual. Their dark blue auror robes immediately betrayed their purpose: protection and security. They flanked the entrances and had spread themselves among the crowd. Their inquisitive eyes peering through the crowd, keeping an eye out for any suspicious movement. The boarding students and families kept their distance from the aurors, as if being near them would attract danger. While Voldemort may be dead, there were quite a number of Death Eaters that had escaped capture in the chaos that followed the Battle of Hogwarts. The auror department had been trying to round them up, Hermione had heard Harry and Ron talk about it in hushed whispers. Her two friends had started auror training now 6 weeks ago and were now standing in their purple auror-in-training robes on the platform. She had said goodbye a few minutes earlier, telling them to be careful and write weekly. Now they stood there, trying to blend into the crowd, but of course not managing to do so. People stared, not even seeming ashamed to be doing so. Hermione saw Harry fidget, still as awkward by the attention as ever. He had spent the summer at the Burrow and Grimmauld Place mostly, avoiding places where he could be the centre of attention.</p>
<p>Hermione saw Harry’s face morph into an incredulous look. She followed his gaze and her eyes fell on Draco Malfoy, already wearing his school robes, standing beside his mother. Narcissa Malfoy appeared anxious and tried to hide her trembling hand in her olive coloured robes. She remembered the both of them from their trials only a month earlier. Both with dark and gaunt faces, seemingly terrified. Hermione hadn’t been able to help herself and felt sorry for them. Ron had told her she was too soft-hearted, she had agreed. He said something to his mother, she gave him a small nod and then proceeded to kiss his cheek. She saw Malfoy stand rigidly while his mother gave her goodbyes. Then he turned around and walked towards the train, his mother taking a deep breath and then stepped towards the apparition point. With a turn on her heel she had vanished.</p>
<p>A whistle sounded, signaling the near departure of the train. Last hugs were exchanged, a few extra goodbye kisses pressed to cheeks and in some eyes appeared a watery sheen. Hermione caught the eyes of Ron and Harry and gave a wave. They grinned and waved back. She heard a faint “kick some N.E.W.T.’s ass, Hermione” being called by Ron through the open window. She saw Harry snort and saw a crooked grin spread across his face. Her heart warmed for her friends, though she’d miss them this year. She understood their reasoning and reckoned their post-war selves would not fit in with the restrictions of school life, but she’d miss them nevertheless.</p>
<p>Her friends were obscured from her view by a quite burly sixth year stepping in front of them on his way to the train. With a sigh she looked away from the platform and thought about the two people missing from the platform. The ones who had seen her off the first time she left on this train. Her parents. In the months since the Battle of Hogwarts she had taken several international portkeys to Australia to look for them. She had found them, but memory recovery was not something done on a late afternoon. She had met with specialised healers in Australia and they had promised her to do everything they could to recover the lost memories. Unfortunately, they had not yet been able to present a breakthrough. Whereas the healers had seemed hopeful that they could help her parents, she couldn’t stop the gnawing guilt, eating away at her conscience. What if there was no hope for their memories to return? What if they would remember but would hate her for what she’d done? What if they would never understand her decision to erase her from their memory and send them away?</p>
<p>Her thoughts were interrupted by Ginny entering the compartment.</p>
<p>“I’m so excited we’re in the same year now!” Hermione shook her head imperceptibly and turned around to smile at Ginny.</p>
<p>“Yes, me too,” she answered, a little wistfully, as the train started to move.</p>
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